Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Cameroonian counterpart on (a) the massacre in Ngar-buh massacre in February 2020 and (b) allegations of intimidation of Jack Andrew Pendleton, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in that country.

The British Government remains deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) regions of Cameroon. We have consistently called for an end to the violence, and for investigations into all reports of human rights violations. On 19 February, I issued a statement about the appalling attacks on 14 February in Ngarbuh and called for an urgent and transparent investigation so that the perpetrators can be held accountable.

Any allegations of intimidation of UN staff or humanitarian actors are deeply worrying. We call on all parties to provide unrestricted access to humanitarian actors who must be allowed to work freely and without intimidation. Through the UN Security Council, we have communicated the need for unimpeded access for humanitarian staff and human rights monitors. The UK urges the Government of Cameroon to engage with all international partners to bring peace to the North-West and South-West (Anglophone) region.